Adjustable turnbuckles for shrouds, stays or other standing rigging have been conventionally used on sailboats to permit the mast of the sailboat be positioned and adjusted as desired by the sailor. Stays providing the fore and aft support for a mast have been configured as adjustable during sailing by a variety of mechanical and/or hydraulic devices. Such devices allow precise control of the shape or bend of the mast and in reaction, the shape of the sail bent to the mast or to the stay.
However, for some classes or designs of sailboats, it may also be desirable to be able to change the overall position of the mast relative to the hull during a race. For such boats, the position of the mast may desirably be radically changed for upwind sailing versus downwind sailing. As a non-limiting example, a Yngling class keelboat includes a backstay adjustment to permit the adjustment of spar and sail shape. However, it is also desirable to have the mast move or rake forward in the boat during a race to permit the sails to be placed in a more optimal downwind position for a leeward leg as compared to a more optimal upwind position used for a windward leg.
To accomplish such a fore and aft raking of the mast, the stays providing lateral support to the mast are preferably also adjusted. Particularly for rigs with swept back spreaders or with side stays anchored to the hull behind the mast, to rake the mast forward, the effective length of the side stays must also be increased in conjunction an effective lengthening of the backstay. Conventional backstay length adjusters are well known and may provide for both mechanical advantage in shortening the effective length of the backstay and rapid action for increasing the effective length.
Conventional turnbuckles do permit alteration of the side stays to accomplish such fore and aft positioning or raking of the mast. However, the speed at which conventional turnbuckles permit changes to the position of the mast s not sufficient or convenient in most racing situations. Improvements to turnbuckles are desirable.